Hi all,
I’m the daughter of a single parent, my mom, who went to medical school in Poland. They have a weird system there where you can go to 6 year medical school directly following high school, so my mom never earned a bachelor’s degree or any other degree besides an MD as a result. I’m applying to JHU, and one of their questions is regarding whether or not I am a first gen student:
"Are you a first generation college student?
We define students as “first generation” if neither parent graduated with a bachelor’s degree from a four-year college."
It’s a yes/no question and technically my mother never got a BA from a four year college… but I have a doctor for a mother?
The weird system is in the US, not Poland: most countries don’t have the 4-year college requirement before medical school; it’s a quirk of the American system.
Having a mother with a medical degree is considered coming from an educated family. Highly educated, even
I would say that you are not first generation. You have a highly educated parent and are not the first in your family to experience post high school education, which is the spirit if not the letter of the question.
What the others have said. First generation isn’t a technicality. They ask the question because they want to know if you come from educated parents. Having a parent with a medical degree means that you do.
Totally agree with katliamom. Students go directly to medical schools in all countries in Europe. And you are not a first generation student since you have a doctor mom (sorry;-)
It will be very weird if you say on your application that you are a 1st gen and that you have a doctor mom. I think you will hurt your chance of admission.
Just answer the questions on the application, the school will determine if you are first gen student. As your parent had post secondary or higher education, regardless how it is called, you are not likely a first gen student.
